I have a new favorite Catholic speaker. His name is Matthew Kelly, have you heard of him? He’s an Australian speaker and writer who has impacted millions of lives and helped many to rediscover their faith and come back to the Church through a book called “Rediscovering Catholicism.” (I haven’t read it yet, but I’m willing to recommend it based on sources I trust. You can order a FREE copy at DynamicCatholic.com). Recently I heard a talk on CD by Kelly called “Becoming the Best Version of Yourself”. It challenged and inspired me! Here’s a description (from catholiccompany.com):
“...Becoming the Best Version of Yourself reminds us that everything makes sense in relation to our essential purpose, and that, without a clear understanding of the purpose in our lives we find ourselves constantly in a cloud of confusion.
Kelly then explains the meaning of friendship, work, marriage, money, all in relation to our essential purpose. Beyond that he demonstrates how understanding our essential purpose brings clarity and direction to our lives, especially in the area of making decisions.
Finally, he challenges us to reassess the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of our lives. With the heartwarming charm and humor he has become so well known for, Kelly invites his audience to make one resolution in each of these four areas… and explains how these four new habits can transform our lives.
"You were born to become the-best-version-of-yourself! This is your essential purpose and the most important discovery you will ever make. Embrace this one solitary truth and it will change your life more than anything you have ever learned. In every situation, simply ask yourself, 'Which of the options before me will help me become the-best-version-of-myself?'"
The Second Vatican Council highlighted the “universal call to holiness,” the vocation to become holy, a calling that we have been given by God at baptism. Kelly says we’re called to “become the best version of ourselves” as a way of describing this call to holiness. He urges us to make resolutions for the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of our lives. For a resolution for the physical aspect, Kelly recommends a goal of exercise at least once a week. For the emotional aspect, he suggests a resolution to spend “carefree timelessness” with friends and loved ones. This doesn’t mean just scheduling in an hour slot to visit someone, it means blocking out an afternoon, an evening, or even entire day to spend with a friend! For the intellectual aspect, Kelly proposes that we resolve to spend at least 10 minutes a day reading a good book. He really wants Catholics to become hungry for “best practices” and “continuous learning” about their faith. Last but not least, Kelly suggests a resolution to keep a weekly Mass journal to enhance the spiritual aspect of our lives.
What is a weekly Mass journal? It is a journal you bring to every Sunday Mass and write in immediately afterwards. What do you write? “ONE thing God taught me at Mass which will help become the best version of myself.” Don’t go overboard and write more than one thing.
The purpose of this journal is to develop a habit of listening to God at Mass. At every Mass, God is teaching us how to become holy, i.e. the best version of ourselves. He speaks to us through the readings, through the homily, and through the prayers of the Mass. But it’s so easy to daydream! With the resolution to write down just ONE thing we learned at Mass, we’ll eventually get in the habit of listening to God at Mass. Habits are formed only after much repetition, so Kelly urges us not to store our journal in such a “safe place” that we forget all about it. In a few years, we will be able to do what Kelly does: look through our old Mass journals and see what issues we were dealing with years ago and realize that “God got me through it!” This will build our faith tremendously! [my comment: this will allow us to actualize Psalm 77:11, which says “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, your wonders of old I will remember.” If you decide to start a Mass journal, don’t forget to ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to do it!]
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